Indonesia and security challenges in the Indo-Pacific region

Abstract

This chapter is motivated by an interest in a particular aspect of Indonesian foreign policy. Indonesia’s foreign policy has been called upon to serve the goals of national development – which are located within a regional and global environment. Indonesia’s most immediate environment is the Southeast Asia region, and for that reason the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) remains the cornerstone of Indonesian foreign policy. The Indo-Pacific – with ASEAN as a key component – is emerging as the future epicentre of global economic and political power. An undeniable fact is that ASEAN, including Indonesia, does need the US influence and a strong military as a form of defense mechanism – especially facing Indo-Pacific challenges ahead. At the same time ASEAN needs China’s economic momentum to survive. The new regional reality is that the return of the US along with the China military presence could pose new dangers for an already volatile world. At this point, US-Sino rivalry forces a dilemma on ASEAN. Indonesia needs new approaches. First, it is important to identify some basic assumptions in Indonesian foreign policy. These are concepts relating to a changing Asian strategic environment and the uncertainties of interdependence. It may be reasonable to assume that Indonesia has the capability to increasingly strengthen linkages among defense, security, and foreign policy aspects – linkages which can support an adequate Indonesian national security policy. Keywords: Foreign Policy, Indonesia, ASEAN, Indo-Pacific, Strategic Implication.